Using Disinfectant at Hospitals Reduces Infection by 44 Percent

The Lancione Law FirmJun 19, 2013

If you are admitted to the hospital in Toledo, you would expect doctors
and other hospital staff to use disinfectant soaps to clean you. You would
likely assume that since hospitals can be breeding grounds for bacteria
and viruses, that hospitals would want to reduce the risk to their patients,
not only for the patients’ health, but also to reduce the likelihood
that they will be subject to medical negligence lawsuits. It would not
be unreasonable to make these assumptions, but it would appear that some
of them may be wrong.

A recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine has found that disinfectant
soaps and ointments can reduce hospital-borne bloodstream infections by
44 percent. This is huge reduction in risk, which calls into question
why hospitals already are not using disinfectants on everyone admitted
to specific hospital units.

It appears that the study was focused on patients in the intensive care
unit, so it is not entirely clear what sort of efficacy the practice of
using disinfectant soaps and ointments would have in other parts of the hospital.

It is incredibly important to lower the risk of acquiring hospital-borne
bloodstream infections. Certain infections, like methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus, are very difficult to treat and can easily take
a patient’s life. Other infections may remain undiagnosed until
it is too late to treat the patient.

When someone is sickened by a hospital’s failure to follow normal
safety procedures, however, it is possible to hold it liable under a medical
negligence lawsuit.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt
or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

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